THE HUMAN FACTOR: A BENCHMARK OF WORKER ATTITUDE TO HEALTH, SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENT IN THE AUSTRALIAN OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY 1999-2001

This paper presents a benchmark of workers perceptions about Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) in the Australian oil and gas industry, particularly those areas covered by the Commonwealth Safety Case Regime. Between 1999 and 2001, the National Institute of Labour Studies conducted surveys of workers attitudes to—and opinions of—Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) in seven oil and gas companies. The broad objectives of this exercise were: To provide each participating company with feedback on its HSE climate from a worker’s perspective; and To produce an industry benchmark of HSE climate, allowing each company to measure itself in comparison with the rest of the industry. It is hoped that the benchmark will stimulate HSE awareness within participating companies and encourage them to share information and learn from each other. This will lead to improvements in HSE within the industry as a whole.